Police in Charlotte have now confirmed to ABC News that they have video that shows Keith Lamont Scott had a gun in his hand during his interaction with police officers before he was fatally shot.
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The man who was critically wounded by a gunshot during the protests, Justin Carr, 26, died on Thursday but the circumstances surrounding his shooting remained unclear.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Chief Kerr Putney said Thursday that he would allow Scott’s family to view video of the incident and Mayor Roberts said she meant to see it too.
The rioting that has engulfed the city claimed a victim on Thursday, as city officials said that a protester who was shot on Wednesday had died.
City officials set a midnight curfew Thursday to forestall any further violence and property destruction. Gov. Pat McCrory dispatched National Guard troops on Thursday to Charlotte, after he declared a state of emergency at the city’s request the previous day.
Scott, 43, was killed Tuesday while police were serving a warrant at The Village at College Downs apartment complex on Old Concord Road, in northeast Charlotte.
Conflicting versions of what happened – police say Mr Scott was armed with a handgun while his family says he was holding a book – fueled the angry protests. “I can tell you we did not find a book”, the chief said.
A state law that takes effect October 1 would back that position, barring release of police video without a court order. In Tulsa, Okla., on Thursday, prosecutors charged a white officer with manslaughter for killing an unarmed black man on a city street last week. Scott was careful not to second guess the decisions of law enforcement saying, “I’m not a law enforcement officer, so I’m not going to pretend to understand and appreciate their concept and their approach to releasing the video”.
The unrest has seemed at odds with Charlotte’s image as a diverse, forward-looking banking capital of the New South.
A handful of protesters confronted police on Thursday night. Justin Bamberg, an attorney for Scott’s family, said the video showed Scott getting out of his vehicle calmly.
Police have said that Scott was shot to death Tuesday by a black officer after he disregarded loud, repeated warnings to drop a gun.
Numerous protesters dispute the official account of Scott’s death, but Putney told reporters he would not release the video at this time, in part to protect the investigation.
Putney said that he has seen the video and it does not contain “absolute, definitive evidence that would confirm that a person was pointing a gun”.
Sixteen police officers and several protesters had been injured on Tuesday night and in the early hours of Wednesday. He said it is “irresponsible” of police not to release the video immediately.
The shooting of Terence Crutcher last Friday, recorded by dashboard cameras and a police helicopter, lead to heightened tensions between yet another United States police department and African-Americans.
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And now it’s Charlotte.The Queen City has joined the list – a sad, long and growing one – of cities rocked by unrest after police shoot and kill an African-American.
